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Auckland community Hill Park aiming to get officially named

A south Auckland community that doesn't officially exist is fighting to put itself on the map.

Hill Park in Manurewa has been around since the 1960s and lends its name
to a school, a superette, a pharmacy, a dentist, a bakery and more.

But it does not appear on Auckland maps.

Residents Scott Oakley and Dmitri Mayster are trying to change that and
will tonight ask the Manurewa Local Board to support their application
to have it officially named by the New Zealand Geographic Places Board.

"We'd just like the name Hill Park to be formally recognised, to give
the community some kind of identity and belonging," Mr Oakley said.

The area had its own distinctive character with native bush, parks, sixties architecture and a heritage homestead, he said.

Some residents told RNZ people were often confused about where exactly Hill Park was.

Unichem Hillpark Pharmacy owner Kathy Maxwell said everyone who lived and worked there called it Hill Park.

Manurewa had many small areas and she wanted the community to be officially recognised as one of them.

"Manurewa is nearly as big as Dunedin and people from Dunedin associate
with St Kilda and Mornington, they associate with their communities.
Manurewa is so big that we associate with our communities," she said.
But in the Manurewa town centre, some questioned whether snobbery was at
play, with Hill Park perceived to be one of the more well-heeled parts
of town.

"'Rewa is 'Rewa," said Manurewa resident Meschach Lloyd.

"They believe their place is better than ours so they should have their own name. That is wrong."

But Mr Oakley and Mr Mayster said the change was about identity, not
snobbery, and they did not want to sever ties with Manurewa.

"It's always been closely part of Manurewa ... we're not packing up and moving away," Mr Oakley said.

The Geographic Board said when it received a place name application it
had to first decide whether it is was worth serious consideration.